The Thin Line Between Love And Hate
by CherrySlushLover
Summary: Clary is constantly trying to convince herself she hates Jace Wayland, but her words seem like lies even to her own ears. The simple fact of the matter is that she doesn't hate him and it's only a matter of time before both of them realise... that there's only a thin line between love and hate. AH.
1. Too Far

**Initially intended just as a Clace one-shot (or two-shot) but your awesome support for me to continue inspired me to continue so enjoy! XD**

**Quick thank you to TheDauntlessNephilimTribute whose own love story inspired this, albeit unintentionally! Love you and your story! Thank you for all the ideas and inspiration as well; I feel truly honoured to work with you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy your story! xxx**

_**Three cheers for the most patient Beta ever: **__**booklover434**__**, for revising both my TMI fanfics! Much love! xxx**_

**Disclaimer: I may not own Mortal Instruments or Jace, but I do own this plot. Luckily, I'm not totally unfortunate!**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter One: Too Far**

"I hate you, Jace Wayland! And don't think I'm one of your stalker girls who say one thing and mean another, because I honestly mean every single word!" I fumed, resisting the urge to stomp my foot like a bad actress.

Blowing a tuft of my hair out of my face, I let out my breath, watching it fog up my mirror. It was one thing to pretend to hate Jace and another thing to actually hate him. I knew that I should be angry at what he had done to Simon and Izzy's relationship especially after how many social issues they had gone through to be together, but despite his public show of disgust of their relationship, I couldn't find it within myself to disregard him.

Deciding that today wouldn't be the day I confronted him, I grabbed my bag and mobile, checking for any missed calls from Simon, who had taken it upon himself to make sure I came to school every morning. Strange. I was supposedly ringing Jace. Deciding it was just my ancient phone playing up, I ignored it, pulling my hair into two braids and running downstairs.

"Jon, has Simon come around yet?" I shouted at his retreating back.

He nodded and gestured vaguely towards the kitchen before ducking out the front door. I sighed and entered the current abode of Simon, opening my mouth immediately to complain about my lack of coffee when I really needed to be awake, but he was engaged in what seemed to be a really invigorating conversation on the phone.

Noticing my presence, he exclaimed, "Wait, the woman in question is here now. Let me just fill her in and ask her."

Disconnecting, he lounged in his seat, showcasing another one of his band t-shirts, this one sporting a vampire who strangely resembled Edward Cullen sucking the caption, "Vampires suck. Pun intended."

Rolling my eyes, I asked what had got him so riled up this early in the morning.

To which the reply was, "Jace."

Not the answer I had expected.

"He was in an assier mood than usual today and it just got Izzy worried. And apparently, it's got something to do with you. Obviously."

My earlier mood immediately dissipated as my concern for Jace grew. If Izzy was worried, it was serious and the assumption the distress had been caused by me made my guilt levels increase faster than dad's blood pressure when he found out I was considering leaving my self-defense classes for drawing. Jace very rarely displayed his emotions and his moods were usually based on how vicious he was... normally towards Simon.

I nodded hastily for Simon to continue with his story, biting the corners of my newly-polished nails, courtesy of Isabelle. Flipping my fingers away from my mouth, he said, "She 'casually' suggested visiting you with those subtle hints she's always throwing, but he clearly didn't find it subtle and said there was no point in visiting you when you couldn't stand him and hated him. Which, obviously, isn't true cause I have to constantly remind you to wipe the drool off your mouth when you're around him."

"I don't drool, Simon! And when did I say I couldn't stand to be around him?" I allowed my mind to wander back to a couple of weeks ago to now but I didn't recall ever having said the words I had just been accused of. An angry Jace was an extremely bad thing though and I knew now that I needed to see him, to rectify whatever misconception he may have. Some may say this was a perfect time to fulfil my earlier words but I couldn't bring my heart into it and with a sinking feeling, I realized I could and would never be able to say I hated Jace.

"As much as I'm going to regret this, I think you need to clear the air with him. And by clear the air, I do not mean shove your tongue into his mouth," Simon smirked.

"Eww, only you could make kissing sound so disgusting. And I do know exactly what you meant, don't worry," I sighed.

"Kissing always sounds disgusting in theory. But when you actually do it... it's a lot better," he said, standing up and pulling me up alongside him.

I groaned and took his offered hand, immediately ringing Jace with the other one. There was no answer but it wasn't like I had expected anything else. Resigning myself to agree to see him at school, I followed Simon out, pulling my hood over my hair. Not only did Jace not like me, but apparently neither did the weather. Already, the clouds had ominously rolled in, bringing with them the promise of impending doom and destruction. And I wasn't exaggerating in the slightest, especially when I saw the sight that greeted me in school.

Not only was I soaked from the rain that hadn't held back and waited until I was inside, but now I had to face Izzy's wrath for making her day hell.

"He's at home, Clary. He's missing a football match, sulking, because you hate him. What and why did you say that? I know you felt guilty about the grief Simon and I got at school because of him, but just because you feel guilty, it doesn't mean you had to lash out like that. Are you really that obsessed with hurting him?" She blew out a heated breath once she'd finished, her hand falling off of her hip, but still looking as elegant and badass as ever.

Simon had been right; Isabelle hardly ranted about anything, but when it was about someone she cared about, she really made a person feel guilty. I was ashamed of myself for not being over at their house now. Wait...

"What exactly am I supposed to do once I get to your house? Convince him I don't hate him and tell him to come back to the game?" I questioned curiously.

"Just make him happy again, Clary," she whispered and twirled around, her hair flying perfectly behind her. "And you're already excused from school for the rest of the day. You're ill. Get out of here before someone sees you."

I hightailed my ass out of school, not even bothering to put my hood up this time. There really seemed to be no point since all I was doing today was running around. It was times like this that I really wished I had a car or at least the keys to Jon's so I could attempt to drive. The cold wrapped around me like a snow blanket and I huddled closer into it, using it as protection against my thoughts.

Despite Izzy's earlier words that I shouldn't have felt guilty about her and Simon, the constant prick of my betrayal pained me, even if they didn't feel the need to punish me. When they had needed me to take their side and convince Jace to leave them alone, I hadn't said a word, leaving them to their own devices and accepting that Jace would change his mind when he realized just how happy Izzy was with Simon.

I had been right of course: Jace had backed off once he realized his adoptive sister's happiness was at stake but that wasn't the issue. I was supposed to have been there for Izzy and Simon, and I hadn't been. Not fully. It was in that state of mind that I knocked on their front door, lost in my own thoughts and dripping like a drowned rat.

The door was pulled open with such force that I feared for its life, the culprit for its near death standing just behind, his tawny eyes glowing with murderous thoughts. Jace's eyes softened slightly as they saw me but the usual walls were back up less than a heartbeat later and I quickly stepped in to the confines of his home, afraid that the door would unceremoniously shut on me.

"What do you want," he asked coldly, no threat of emotion spilling through his lifeless tone. Straightaway, I understood where Isabelle's concern had arisen from...Jace may be sarcastic and closed off, but there was always emotion in his voice, whether it was derision or humor. His current demeanor scared me more than I had thought possible.

I reached for him, but he pulled away from my grasp. I brushed away the small twinge of hurt I felt at his obvious revulsion that I had never sensed before and instead said the words I had been meaning to say for a long time.

Not the lies.

"I'm sorry, Jace."

His head snapped up. "What?"

"I'm sorry," I breathed in deeply and looked at my squelching shoes, knowing for certain I needed courage to say the next part and I wouldn't get that from looking at the eyes that unwound my every thought, "I'm sorry that I can't hate you when I've been trying to do that for the last four years, and I'm sorry I lied when I said I thought you were the last guy on earth I would ever like, and I'm sorry for not instilling rust in you and that you would believe what some half-minded ass said about me not wanting to spend time with you."

"Well then, you must be a half-minded ass because you clearly said you hated me," he replied, holding up his cellphone.

I gasped as every single word I had said to myself in the mirror that morning replayed on his phone voice messages, and the vivid memory of seeing my phone ringing Jace came back to me. How had I been so stupid? Of course he would get the wrong end of the stick if he had heard all that!

"But I- you weren't supposed to hear that!"I finally exclaimed.

He arched an eyebrow, folding his arms casually yet still managing to look unconcerned at the same time. "So you hate me, but you were just acting like you didn't," he replied.

"No! If I didn't care, would I honestly walk just under two miles to come and see you? To make things right with you? Would I defend you in front of everyone who ever put you down, saying you have no substance besides women and football? God, Jace, why can't you see what's right in front of you? I do care about you!" My breathing was hitched, a result of having finally seen why it was so hard for me to say I hated Jace. No matter how many times I said it, no matter how many times I tried to convince myself of it, I didn't hate him.

He took a step closer to me, the difference between our heights finally becoming more evident as his body stood just over an inch away from mine. I could feel heat radiating off him and I nearly leaned in, wanting to be closer to him, obviously to get out of this horrible cold. This close up, his eyes swirled with various shades of that unique gold, his pupils enlarging and nearly swallowing the irises whole. I gulped unintentionally and watched as he mirrored me, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.

"I care too, Clary. A lot more than I should. But every time I allow myself to feel, I get hurt. So what's the point?" He whispered, and in that moment I saw just how vulnerable Jace was under his tough exterior.

"This is the point."

I wrapped my arms around him, winding them up until I could braid my fingers in his hair. His lips were merely a breath away, I noticed, but I planted mine firmly on his cheek, before placing my palm there. Our hearts thudded unevenly against each other and I wondered why he looked so confused but I pulled away regardless, laughing uneasily.

"So are we friends again?" I smiled at him.

"Friends. Of course." He turned away from me, his voice oddly different than what it had been a moment ago. And that's when I realized that it had gone back to being emotionless.

**A/N: Aaah, the pains of nearly kissing and then being friendzoned! Poor Jace!**

**Now, I'm in a predicament with this one shot. I never meant for it to end this way and now it has, I don't know whether I should make it a two-shot and continue from this.**

**So I'll ask what you, my beloved readers, think!**

**Leave a comment since they mean everything to me! XD**

**Thank you to all the readers who found they way here! I will post the next part soon as soon as I get an idea!**

**CherrySlushLover**

**xxx**


	2. Bridging the Gap

**A/N: So this is now to be a multi-chapter story and it's all because of you, my awesome readers! Thank you somuch for all the love; It was the best welcome I could've hoped for in this fandom and I hope you continue to enjoy it! **

**My amazing beta who sent this to me faster than I could've hoped: vampiressbeauty20. You deserve a huge cookie cherry slush and a hug off Jace! You rock! **

**Thank you to emy-twilight09 for her wonderful suggestion: The music for this chapter- Every Breath You Take.**

**Disclaimer: I think I'd have realised by now if Jace belonged to me but I know the plot does! :)**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Two: Bridging The Gap**

I walked stiffly into the kitchen, automatically growing silent as Jace's mood passed into me. He had been fine a moment ago and now he was stoically preparing food like nothing unusual had happened. Gritting my teeth, I stalked up to him, unwilling to be scared into silence. He had never made me feel uncomfortable in his presence, not even when I had just been introduced to him. But his current agitation was down to me and I needed to know what I had done wrong.

"Jace," I said, putting a hand on his arm. He stiffened like usual but his response was what caught me. In one swift movement, he spun around and trapped my hand between his. My heart thumped unevenly through my thin top and I recoiled slightly, prying my hand out of his grasp. "Just tell me what I can do to fix it."

"That's the problem, Clary. You can't do anything and you being here is only making it worse."

My eyes welled up with unwanted tears and I angrily brushed them away. "What more do you want, Jace? I thought we had just agreed everything was in the past! What is so horrible that you can't even tell me? Why do you never trust me with anything? All this time, I've backed you up but I guess I was the stupid one since I had no idea just how much your your attitude hurt! Look, you can't even look me in the eye! I didn't do anything to you!" I pushed his chest, lengthening the distance between us. "I finally understand why no one can stand you, Jace!"

Isabelle's demand that I get Jace back to his football game came back to me and I added impassively, "And get to your football game. The team needs you."

And I need you back to normal, teasing me and laughing when I embarrassed myself, and always being there for me. "I'm sorry. You know where to find me when you finally decided that I deserve the truth."

I walked back out, grabbing my jacket on the way out.

"You don't want to know the truth, Clary," came his voice faintly, "It'll break us."

I grimaced at the predicament he had put me in but decided facing Izzy's wrath was a lot better than eating my words and returning to him, even if only by a margin. I dialled the second number I always turned to in times of need since the first- Jace- was currently unavailable.

"Simon!"

"I really don't want to deprive you of the invigorating conversation you obviously want to have with me, so leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you if I like you." Simon's voicemail stated. Then my part came. "Most likely he won't!"

Despite everything that had threatened our friendship, Simon's voicemail had remained consistent and even now, when everything was going wrong, the sound of earlier, happier days brought a smile to my lips. Izzy had assumed it meant Simon still harboured feelings for me but after convincing her that all the mushy looks he passed her way meant he held a torch only for her, she had cheered up. Neither had said anything about wanting to become a couple and it had finally fell to me to bring them together and force Izzy to just go out and speak to Simon: he just thought she was out of league and from the slightly odd looks he still gave her, I think his thoughts on that had remained unchanged.

Alec Lightwood was a different matter altogether. He hadn't liked me then and still looked wary of me, not that he was afraid of me. He was just frightened that I would let Jace know about the unrequited crush he had had on him. Alec was seemingly thawing slightly ever since Magnus Bane had come into the picture, who was clearly besotted with Alec.

Speak of Magus and the devil arrived.

"Big fight with the boyfriend," he said sympathetically, but his cat eyes soon turned mischievous. "Alec will be happy."

"But you won't, Maggie," I retorted, bumping into his side. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Wait, the definition of arrogance isn't your boyfriend? And here I was, assuming all the time you spent together meant you were getting it on," he laughed incredulously.

"Seriously, if you have nothing useful to say..." I trailed off.

"Actually, everything that comes out of my mouth is highly useful and intelligent! So, if you and Jace weren't getting down, what were you doing? Watching TV and braiding each other's hair?"

"No, that's what you and Alec get up to. And did you change the glitter spray you're using because this one smells," I mocked, wrinkling my nose.

"I'm offended but judging by your current attire, I wouldn't take anything you say about fashion seriously. I can't believe you went to see Jace looking like a cat that's been homeless its entire life. Have I taught you nothing?"

I didn't reply, reminiscing the days Jace and I had spent together, lounging or teaching me to play piano. He may be egotistical and sarcastic, but I hadn't minded as long as he was there. I sighed in annoyance at the way this day was going down a very steep hill and Magnus immediately caught on, stopping me in my tracks with a hand to my stomach.

"Alright, teasing aside. What did you say to Jace?"

"Why does it have to be me that said anything?" I grew affronted quickly but calmed down since I knew he was right.

He raised a neatly plucked eyebrow which said more than any words could. "Because Jace would never do anything to hurt you," he said simply.

"He said me being there with him only made everything worse," I murmured, trying to ignore the curious glances I was getting from a familiar face. Why did the weird old man keep looking at me? Did I have something on my face or was he trying to figure out if leprechaun's existed?

Either way, he was getting to me.

"It's what I suspected," Magnus stroked his imaginary beard thoughtfully, "I'll have to go lend an ear to hear his sob story before telling you."

"You know!" I exclaimed loudly, "Tell me how I can make it normal again!"

He shook his head in defeat, looking down at his boots. "It's his secret to tell you. I can only guess but unless he comes out with it, I just don't know; as much as his head needs to be deflated, this isn't the way."

"Miss Fray!"

I spun to see the old man screaming my name and walking briskly towards me. Oh no. That wasn't any old man, it was my History teacher. Also known as Mr Plum because of the horrible tendency of his face to go exactly that colour when he was angry.

I turned to tell Magnus to go before he got in trouble but the space beside me was empty of any glitter-loving maniacs. At least he was as consistent in ditching me as giving me half-answers.

"Why are you not in school?"

Come on, Clary. Lie.

"I was just on my way to school, sir. I was feeling ill but since school is important, I decided to put it first before my petty headache." To add some dramatics, I placed a hand on my forehead and swiped the few strands of curling hair off of it. His eyes narrowed in suspicion but since this was the route one would take to get to school, he had no reason to suspect my squeaky-clean record.

"If I don't see you at school within ten minutes, we will have to tarnish that record of yours. Everyone else may have fallen for your angelic acting, but I haven't. I've got my eyes on you, Miss Fray," Mr Fell countered.

Thinking to the mile I still had left to go, I ran ahead, cursing my short legs. Why I had even bothered with Jace, I didn't know but then there was no doubt in my mind that if presented with the same situation again, I would've done the same thing but have tried not to fight with him. The guilt was not lessening as I ran further away from him: it was now like a physical pull in my chest, warning me that I needed to go back to him and apologise.

The doors of Idris Academy loomed into view and the banners surrounding it just reminded me yet again of the words I had spoken. Everyone was in pre-football pandemonium, trying to get it ready in time for the match. I passed them quickly, not wanting to stop or make eye contact, afraid that the fact I may have something to do with their missing star player would be written on my face.

"I wish Jace looked at me like that," sighed the brunette next to me, gazing off somewhere in the distance. No, not somewhere in the distance, I realised. She was looking at Jace, who conveniently was looking at me.

Without even knowing what I was saying, I asked, "Looking at you like what?"

Well, she was looking at me like I was dirt under her red Louboutins, but she replied nonetheless. "Like you hold some interest to his life. Though I have no idea why you do," she scowled, flicking her hair and stomping off with her cronies.

I let my head slam against the lockers, the voices around me fading as I thought back to what Magnus had said. If I could just piece out together all the clues that explained Jace's behaviour, maybe we could go back to normal. It didn't really help that I was close to useless at reading minds.

The rain pounded against the windows and I wondered whether it was reflecting my mood or his. He wasn't at the end of the corridor anymore but I went in that direction anyway, turning left into the English room. He stood at the back like I had thought, waiting for me. Although his body language was relaxed as he lounged against the wall, hands deep in his pocket, I could sense the tension that rolled off him in waves. The distance was bridged between us slowly, ever so slowly, like the night turning into day, like the seasons switching interchangeably into the next.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I am too."

"Jace," I started cautiously, "What you can't tell me- why is it everyone knows what it is apart from me? What are you hiding?"

"Did anyone tell you what it is?" He questioned, leaning down slightly to bring himself closer to me. His eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he lowered his gaze, the tawny eyes peering into my very soul.

"No, everyone says it's not their place to tell me."

I didn't understand why the life seemed to be kicked out of him at those words, his body physically deflating. Shouldn't he be happy no one had told his secret?

"Jace, if you think you're going to hurt me, then just know that I'm hurting now. Not knowing is a lot worse than knowing whatever terrible secret you're hiding. And we'll just work it out the same way we have done with everything else that has happened: together. It'll be alright."

"Do you promise?" His voice was low and oddly vulnerable, as though his entire life depended on my answer. "Do you promise that what I tell you won't ruin our friendship?"

"Of course," I frowned. "Nothing could do that."

He took a deep breath and just as I was certain I was going to find out what was going on, a different voice altogether interrupted us.

"Miss Fray again. Why does this not surprise me? Class now, and you have detention tomorrow!"

I reared away from Jace and found myself face to face with Mr Plum for the second time today. A vein throbbed in his forehead, spittle flying as he roared commands at me. I was dead.

I was literally dead when my father found out I had a detention. Valentine hated me as much as one could hate their child, instead harbouring and spending all his love on Jon, and whether that had anything to do with Jon being his doppelgänger, I didn't know. Jace's chortle turned quickly into a cough at Mr Plum's words, knowing what my untarnished record being streaked with black meant for me.

"Sir, please. It was my fault. I deserve the detention." The sincerity in his voice threw me a little because Jace never opted himself up for a detention or spoke with respect to teachers. To be honest, all the words that had just came out of his mouth sounded that surreal but as I looked back at him and saw he was already looking at me with the serious look that forced my stomach to spin like I was about to die, I knew he meant every word he had said.

"Then you can join her, Mr Wayland! Now you're wasting my time so I suggest you both get to class," he continued shrieking, his forehead creased and wrinkles appearing between his eyebrows.

There really was no suggestion about his words and we both existed the room, me half-jogging whilst Jace casually sauntered out behind me and split off to the right, going to a last-minute football practice.

Sliding into my classroom and trying to keep myself as small as possible to avoid getting picked on yet again (sometimes my height came in handy) I slipped into my seat besides Kaelie Summers, aka Miss Perfect.

"I have no idea what Jace sees in you. He really needs to get over you and see what he's missing out on," she whispered to me, gesturing to her own curves.

Wait, Jace needed to get over me? But that surely mean that he...

No, that wasn't possible.

But it did explain his strange behaviour.

**You hate me right about nowbut I did continue! What do you think Clary thinks about this revelation? What will she do about it? And how will everyone react? **

**You know how to find out! Follow, favourite and review! And I was just wondering whether you would rather me stick with Clary's POV throughout or would you like some Jace POV chapters as well? And I am aiming for updates EVERY FRIDAY so you can keep up to date with it since a lot of fics are constantly updated on this fandom! Or would you guys prefer another day? Hmm...**

**Thank you for all the love so far and I hope this is the start of something beautiful!**

**CherrySlushLover**

**xxx**


	3. Out of Bounds

**Being spoilt has never felt so nice! Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites; each alert makes me jump like a crazy woman! See this face :D D It's my over the moon face!**

**My fabulous beta vampiressbeauty20 is literally a star and makes my day brighter by betaing! :)**

**Disclaimer: Pretty sure I'm not Cassie... *checks mirror* nope, definitely not xx**

_**The song Jace sings: Let her go by Passenger, although I prefer the cover by Tyler Ward ft. Kurt Schneider... I changed the line 'Only know you love her when you let her go' to 'Once I knew I loved her, had to let her go'.**_

**I think it helps to listen to the song whilst Jace is singing instead of reading the lyrics! :D**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Three: Out of Bounds**

**Jace's POV**

My fingers glided over the keys like usual but there was something missing, it had been missing for a while now. And I knew exactly what it was.

Her hair wasn't tickling my arm as she bent over the keys trying to decipher the different notes as I played. Her emerald eyes weren't sparkling with guilt each time she accidentally pressed a key and ruined the melody I was playing. Her hand wasn't resting on mine as she tried to hold in the tears forming at the corner of her eyelids, after listening to me play. She wasn't laughing as I immediately stopped, and started to sulk because I didn't get my way. I felt her absence from my life.

I laughed slightly as I realised how stupid I really sounded right now and how uncontrolled. Clary had once said to me that she had always wanted to know why I never showed any emotion, but I knew without a doubt that if she had seen me now, she would be shocked. Because of course, I was the opposite of that now.

A quiet knock at the door automatically halted my playing and I called out tersely, "Sorry I can't share myself with anyone now!"

But obviously, Max just walked straight in, not understanding my current mood. Standing up, I ruffled his hair and drew him out of the piano room, or as I had dubbed it, mine and Clary's room. She was the only person who had ever been there or heard me playing.

"What's up, little brother? Missing me?"

"No... I was actually thinking when Clary would be back. She promised to read to me and explain the fight sequences!" He pouted, pushing his glasses further back on his nose.

Seemed like I wasn't the only one with a crush on Clary.

"I think I'd be better with fight sequences, Max. Clary doesn't exactly... fight," I smirked, even though the image of her fighting me was going through my mind. Obviously, it had only been a stupid dare to see if she could keep me from winning for ten seconds, but the feeling of her on top of me was still fresh in my memory. Had she known I was going easy on her? To be honest, it didn't really matter since she would only assume I was doing it to not hurt her, definitely not discovering that I quite enjoyed her being on top of me.

And I meant that innuendo.

"Jace, why are you smiling to yourself?"

"Because he's thinking about things you're definitely too young to hear about," Isabelle added, swishing in through the door.

I grimaced at the sight of her, already predicting the next words out of her mouth. And I was right, of course. Jace Wayland was never wrong. Or Jace Herondale.

"Clary's angry at being kept out of everything as usual," she shrugged, "What did you do to her now?"

Thinking back to how close I had gotten to telling her exactly how I felt about her, I didn't answer, choosing instead to ask about the rat's health. Which was clearly the wrong move since now Izzy knew something was definitely up.

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Her." She punctuated each word with a jab to my chest and I pushed my hands in front of me, if she decided to continue her torture. I snickered at my word choice; Izzy hadn't even hurt me, tickling would have pained me more.

"I didn't do anything. I told you I'd stay away from her, Iz!"

Seriously, did the girl think I was a born liar? Well, I was, but not about something like this. Well, maybe about something like this.

I wouldn't ever do anything like that to Clary without her consent, no matter how much I wanted to. And believe me, I had wanted to. When she had come over yesterday to explain the voicemail, my heart had nearly stopped. I had thought she had felt the same way but she clearly only thought of me as a friend. How ironic was that? The one time I honestly cared for a girl, she friend-zoned me. Now the consequences of my actions with many other girls came back to me and I realised that when Clary called me a douche, she was a tiny bit right.

"Whatever. And aren't you supposed to be in detention now? Everyone's been talking about how you actually volunteered for it, and on the day of the match too! What were you thinking, Jace? You won't even have time to practise before it!"

"I don't need to practise, Iz. I'm perfect," I smirked, grabbing my sports bag and slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll see you later, and I'll see what I can do about that date you had organised with Clary, Max."

He was watching the altercation between Iz and me with mild interest but otherwise seemed wholly consumed by his latest find from Forbidden Planet. At the sound of Clary's name however, his attention perked and he wrapped his thin arms around me, nearly crushing his glasses in the process.

"What was that about?" Izzy mouthed, unravelling Max from me so I could set off.

"He likes Clary," I shrugged, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Actually, liking Clary was easy and now that I thought about it, I needed to do something about the looks Sebastian had thrown her. He was bad for her.

Just like you are, Jonathan.

I cursed the mental voice of my earlier adoptive father and took to running instead, knowing it was a good way to shake off my mood before seeing Clary. She was too goddamn caring for her own good and now, her arms around me was a predicament I couldn't see myself getting out of easily. It would probably end up with things definitely not PG-rated and I was man enough to admit that my affections would probably have no affect on her; that was exactly why I was avoiding her. She didn't feel the same way and me being around her would just complicate things further.

My eye smarted from a piece of dust as I ran, pumping my legs like my life depended on it. The tension rolled off the shoulders and I rolled the football out of my bag, dropping it to my feet. Dribbling it on a busy road was challenging occasionally but the decrepit side roads were nothing and I easily manoeuvred it away from obstacles on the road. My attention was utterly focused on the ball in front of me, not on a girl with fiery hair and an attitude to match.

Damn.

There she was again.

Groaning, I kicked the ball back up, depositing it back into my bag. I had reached school anyway. Why I had volunteered for that detention I would never know, but I was resigned to my situation now and would have to sit with her for an hour. With no company except a teacher. Just me and her. Pushing the entrance door open, I looked around to see the various posters of me brightening up the wall and smiled involuntarily as I thought of Clary drawing a few. They definitely had her exceptional sketching skills all over it, but I wasn't sure if she felt comfortable with showing her artwork to anyone. Oh, who was I kidding? I was jealous if she had shown it to everyone.

Her drawing and my playing they were the secrets only the other knew. People knew she drew, and they knew I played the piano, but they hadn't ever been exposed to it yet. If they had, I was sure they would've died from shock.

"Ah, Mr Wayland."

"Please, Mr Wayland was my father. Call me 'Oh Awesome One'. That's more fitting," I smirked back at Stark, or Mr Starkweather to everyone else.

"You and Miss Fray will be helping with the theatre that still needs to be set up. She'll be on props and you just need to move the boxes from the storage room into there. Don't worry, I'm sure there's not too many spiders there."

That was the thing with Stark. One never knew whether he was joking or not.

"Now."

Okay, the least I could offer him for getting me out of the incredibly awkward session I had dreaded was to do what he had asked me to do. Slouching over to the storage room, I grabbed a few boxes of costumes, deciding to just dump it next to the stage instead of vaulting up and risking seeing Clary. I had been so close to tell her earlier but thinking over my actions, and most of all, her reactions, I knew I could never slip up like that again. There was no sign of anyone here except me and casually looking around, I realised the room had been undisturbed, which meant Clary was probably helping with props in other room.

Moving straight over to the piano after sending Alec a text that I'd see them all at the game, I sat down, pressing a few random keys before I settled in. Clary knew I played since I had been her piano teacher for nearly three months now, but she had never known exactly what songs I played, or that I occasionally sang. I cleared my throat slightly, my fingers already tracing the song I had been playing on repeat for nearly a week. It would just not leave and I knew exactly what I needed to do to get it to stop, but I couldn't do that.

The notes were loud in the empty room, contrasting sharply to the ugly silence that had previously occupied this room.

_Well, you only need the light when it's burning low,_

_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,_

_Only know you love her when you let her go._

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

_Only hate the road when you're missing home._

_Once I knew I loved her, had to let her go,_

_And I let her go._

_Staring at the bottom of your glass_

_Hoping one day you'll make a dream last_

_But dreams come slow and they go so fast_

_You see her when you close your eyes_

_Maybe one day you'll understand why_

_Everything you touch slowly dies_

_But you only need the light when it's burning low_

_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow_

_Only know you love her when you let her go_

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

_Only hate the road when you're missing home_

_Once I knew I loved her, had to let her go._

_Staring at the ceiling in the dark_

_same old empty feeling in your heart_

_'Cause Love comes slow and it goes so fast_

_Well you see her when you fall asleep_

_But never to touch and never to keep_

_Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep_

_Well you only need the light when it's burning low_

_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow_

_Only know you love her when you let her go_

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

_Only hate the road when you're missing home_

_Once I knew I loved her, had to let her go_

_And I let her go_

_And I let her go_

_Well, I let her go..._

I broke off, my chest constricting tightly as I tried to keep the emotion from my voice. My fingers rested against the keys, not playing anything, just sitting there lifeless.

"Jace?"

Please tell me I was imagining that voice. A hand,her hand, dropped to my shoulder and slid down to take mine in hers. I stiffened, unable to move. It was just like I had imagined before and I clenched my eyes shut tightly, hoping this was all a figment of my imagination. And like usual, I was lying to myself. I didn't want this to be a dream just like I hadn't any of my real dreams to end. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself otherwise, there was nothing wrong when Clary and I were together. I didn't feel like I was going against all of Izzy and Alec's warnings and I knew she wasn't just another girl. When I was with Clary, everything felt real, when it never had before.

Oh no, she wasn't perfect. She had a nasty temper and a horrible habit of cheating whenever I tried to play against her and was as stubborn as they came. But it was all these imperfections that made her so unlike anyone I had ever met, and it was her imperfections that had drawn me to her. Because I still remembered our first meeting clearly. I had thrown a casual comment about her shirt being slightly see through from the water dripping on it and she had slapped me.

I know I sounded like a lunatic in that moment, but I had fallen in love with her a bit after that first slap.

"Jace?"

But I would die before I told her that.

"I know," she continued, and it was then that my heart stopped.

She couldn't know. She had just told me no one had wanted to tell her, so how was this possible? Unless she had figured it out herself... but I could only damage control now.

"Yes, Clary. I am going to act-"

"You're not worming your way out of this one, Jace Wayland," she huffed, her hands falling on her hips. Had I ever mentioned how much I loved it when she said my full name?

"Shut up, Jace. I know, and you know exactly what I mean by that. And I can't believe I've been so stupid! All the signs were right in front of me and I didn't even realise! And I was so confused..." Her tooth snagged her bottom lip and she bit it hard, trying to control her emotions. Her hand was squeezing mine but I didn't want to remind her it was still there just in case she extracted it. I had missed the feel of her small hand in mine.

"I was so confused so I went to Simon, and- and he laughed that it had taken me this long to find out. Magnus pretty much did the same and offered to talk to me if I needed him. And I wanted to talk to him, but it didn't feel right, because I needed to talk to you first. But Izzy rang-"

My eyes went wide with shock and she paused. "What?"

"What did you tell Izzy? "

"That I liked you back," she whispered.

"I- Clary..."

My phone beeped and I glanced at it quickly, knowing who it was before I had even saw it. Isabelle.

Ignoring it for a while, I stood up, dragging Clary up with me. My jaw clenched as I pushed a stray curl off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear and leaving my hand there. "The reason I kept it from you was because Isabelle told me I couldn't have yet another one of her friends. And now I don't know..."

"We'll work it out, Jace," she smiled slightly. "First, I need to get as far from you as possible and then try to tell Isabelle it was a prank."

I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against hers, exhaling deeply. Her familiar scent washed around me and I finally relaxed, here in her arms, my muscles loosening in a way they hadn't done for months.

Her arms wrapped freely around my middle but all too soon, she was away from me, sprinting out the door.

I turned and sighed, sitting on the piano stool and waiting inevitably for the moment Izzy would contact me again.

It only took another forty seconds.

**It's finally out in the open! Aah, Izzy... she doesn't realise it's true love and will try her hardest to keep them apart! But when has Jace ever said no to a challenge ;) **

**Leave a review and let me know your thoughts! :)**

**Especially since I gave you all a Jace POV...**

**Thanks,**

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


	4. Motionless

**Don't shoot me with potatoes please, listen to my reason first!**

**I am one day late with the update because the Manage Stories button was malfunctioning since Tuesday and it just started working today. Anyone else facing problems?**

**Thank you for all the reviews, and follows (the amount already is incredible!) And favourites! You guys seriously make me dance in my room like a freak because I'm so happy!**

**My awesome beta is so speedy and took literally an hour to beta this... So huge thank you to vampiressbeauty20 for rocking! XD**

**Disclaimer: Still not awesome enough to own Mortal Instruments. Shame...**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Four: Motionless**

I brushed past the squealing girls in front of me, grabbing a seat where the action from the game could be seen clearly. Izzy had a face on like a slapped tortoise as she took her seat next to me, decidedly ignoring my presence.

I sighed, laying a hand on her shoulder. She had spoken to Jace, demanding to know what was going on and asked me the same thing, but to no avail. We were adamant that there was nothing going on, but she was still worried. "Izzy, I'm not keeping a secret from you. Jace is happy again because we've made up, so I don't get the problem."

Oh yes, I did.

"I'm worried about what sort of making-up you've been doing," she grimaced, shaking my hand off.

I grimaced at the insinuation unconvincingly since kissing Jace left my heart fluttering, not cringing. However, she seemed satisfied and decided to continue her rant. "It's not that I don't trust you, Clary. I don't trust Jace. He makes everyone fall for him. Look at him; look at the female population in the stands who abhor football but just came to see him!"

I looked around, seeing her point proven. Around seventy percent of the stands were crowded with screaming girls dressed appallingly in the vague hope of attracting attention from the star striker, Jace Wayland. I saw the cheerleaders screaming only one name instead of the team name like was expected, and in the centre of it all, I saw Jace enter the stadium, raising his headgear in acknowledgement of all his support.

My heart nearly stopped when he turned to face us, nodding and raising it once again to us. The smirk on his face hinted that he could see me turning red, but that was impossible. Maybe he had already predicted my reaction.

"What was all that about?" Izzy asked suspiciously.

"Seriously Izzy, he was just acknowledging our presence," I replied, trying to act blasé.

She raised an eyebrow confidently as though she knew something I didn't. "How did you know I was even talking about Jace? Clearly, your thoughts were occupied by him and now the question is: why are you smiling when you think of him?"

"Because we're finally friends again. And he's happy again," I repeated for good measure.

"Okay. I just want you to promise to let me know if something does start. Jace- he's got this way about him that makes girls crazy. And so many cry because of him. I don't want you to be one of those people especially because of the way you look at each other already." Seeing my startled expression, she rushed to correct herself. "I know, you're just friends. But it's like you mean so much more to the other, and I'm scared that if just a friendship has this big of an effect on both of you, how would you cope with heartbreak?"

Her words had certainly given me a lot to think about. Was it best if I just got out before we got in too deep? Would be both be safer that way? Thinking back to all the time we had spent together already, my answer was obvious. No. I would be as devastated to lose his friendship and his heart. What was life without risks?

Isabelle was right in what she had said, but her intention behind them had been to convince me to not develop any romantic feelings towards Jace. The reaction from me was the opposite. Her words had just convinced me that we deserved to give this a chance.

"Mm hmm. The game's starting."

"And Simon's still not here," she added, slightly disgruntled.

I elbowed her cheeky as she 'casually' looked around. "Is someone becoming a little attached?"

"I haven't seen him today and he promised he'd be here, that's all," she retorted, her fingers hovering nervously over her mobile.

"He's probably got held up. He wouldn't do this intentionally."

I could feel her finally relax beside me and concentrate on the match.

Jace was easily distinguishable to me and I watched him captivated at the grace with which he moved. In the first few seconds, the ball was already in his possession, never straying far from him. Sebastian ran next to him, waiting for the chance to score after Jace passed it. Three opposing defenders were already surrounding Jace as he neared the goalposts, but he never relinquished the ball, despite Sebastian clearly shouting at him to do so. My heart leapt as a defender slid in to tackle the ball, his studded boot coming too close to Jace's for my liking, and then suddenly, the ball was flying. I watched as it flew... straight into the top right of the net.

"You asshole! I told you to aim for his playing leg! He's left-handed!" The captain of the Clave Constitution shouted profanities at his players, clearly devastated.

"Go Jace!" I screamed right back and although the crowd were screaming similar things, he turned straight to us, his elation clear from here.

The final score was 17-5 to us. I had the feeling the score could have been a lot higher if Jace had cooperated with Sebastian, but he was clearly adamant on not using him, passing to any other person, even if the risk of the ball being intercepted was greater.

Iz and I descended to the stadium where Jace waited like usual, but the throngs of fans blocked us. This had happened for as long as I could remember and though it had always annoyed me, it seemed to especially great on my nerves today. I clambered through him, keeping Izzy's arm firmly in mine so she wouldn't get knocked over, though I knew perfectly well she could run in those heels when it was snowing and not trip.

I met his eyes over the heads of the people in front of me despite my height, and his own seemed to lighten in response. With just a couple of words, he had parted the crowd and made it over to us. Izzy hugged him, smiling as though she hadn't just called him a heartbreaker two hours ago.

Then they broke away, and it seemed as though everyone was waiting for what I would do now.

How did I normally congratulate him? Did I hug him? Did I smile? Or did I just say it to him?

Well, here goes nothing.

My arms went around him as his rested on my waist, my feet lifting off the ground with the force he put behind the hug. How had I never appreciated fully the way his muscles moves as his arms wrapped around me? The way his eyes glowed with emotion after a game, the way he looked at me? Our hearts thumped unevenly together like a broken clock.

"Jace! Put me down now!" I screamed, pushing his chest and just taking a moment to admire the hardness below my fingertips.

"Are you not going to say congratulations? " He murmured, but with his lips next to my ear, it sounded so much more... intimate. I involuntarily shivered as he dropped me, my body sliding down the full length of his. I pushed away, eyes wide, and looked to see if Izzy had seen anything. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Izzy?" Maybe she had gotten lost in the masses of people.

"She got a call from Simon," Jace grinned, pulling me in for another hug, my back to his front.

There were still enough people here for us to have to stay careful, so I dropped his hands off mine, telling him I would go and wait for him next to his car. He caught on immediately, turning to go to the changing rooms.

Feeling stalkerish, I watched him leave, the crowd slowly dissipating as the star left. Remembering my earlier analysis of Jace's behaviour, I reminded myself to ask what his deal with Sebastian was. They had never been the best of friends, but he had never nearly compromised his game to avoid him.

It usually took around forty minutes for everyone to be ready by the car, but today I was joined by the rest of the 'family' in fifteen minutes. Minus Isabelle, who, according to Magnus, had gone to celebrate in her own way with Simon. Somehow, I think he was getting an earful instead. Alec glowered as he passed me to climb into the back after Jace had said I was riding at the front... which had nothing to do with me, of course. There was no way I was using my new relationship to finally get shotgun in the car of my dreams.

Definitely not.

"Well, isn't this cozy?" Magnus commented from the back, sitting quite close to Alec despite the rest of the seat being empty.

"Clary. Simon said he was waiting for you at your house. You need to discuss something with him?"Alec met my eyes in the wing mirror and I frowned as he nodded imperceptibly.

"Sure." But wasn't Simon with Isabelle?

If I was being extremely Sherlock-like right now, I would have said this was an excuse for Alec to talk to me in private, but I had never really prided myself on my deduction skills.

Which was why I was especially surprised that I was right.

Jace parked outside my house, having only spoken a simple greeting to me in the car, probably because of our company. I was dying for the chance to speak to him about our earlier declarations, but the opportunity to do so hadn't arisen yet.

I followed Alec out as he accompanied me to the door, turning his collar up to cover his words. Jace was skilled in the art of lip-reading.

"I think you know why you're here," he started.

Now, why did that sound like the beginning of a badly written crime drama?

"No. And don't you think they're going to get suspicious that you're walking me inside if Simon's there anyway? You've never done this before."

"They trust me." I pushed the key in the door and twisted, letting the usual messy living-room comfort me. Alec followed and shut the door behind him, explaining it would warn him if anyone was coming to eavesdrop. I didn't point out that if Jace wanted to eavesdrop, a door wouldn't stop him.

"It's about Jace."

"You as well," I exclaimed, "I've already got that lecture off Izzy!"

"Oh." He shifted slightly, finally deciding to shrug though his shoulders were tight with tension. "Magnus told me I needed to clear things up with you. So this is what I need to say. You hurt Jace, and you're dead. As long as he's happy, I'll be civil."

"Haven't you been civil already?" I said sarcastically, realising my mistake as soon as I had said it. Alec tended to interpret things in the literal sense.

"There's no need to be nice. I know I haven't been the best I could've been towards you. Let's go before they think something's going on."

I didn't bother mentioning that they probably already thought that and returned to the car.

Feeling particularly brave, I said, "I'm coming over to your house, Jace. No one's home, so I'm assuming everyone's there."

He smirked. "Any excuse to spend more time with me, Fray."

"Of course. That was definitely my ulterior motive," I deadpanned, playing along. He glanced at me, and it somehow turned into a staring competition. I gulped involuntarily, swearing to myself that I wouldn't be the first to look away.

"Get a room, you two. I'm choking on the tension back here," Magnus laughed, holding a hand to his throat which carried a very fine silver men's chain. It wasn't in the least bit gaudy, meaning it must hold some sort of sentimental value to him. He winked at me, and shortly afterwards, my phone chimed along to 'I'm sexy and I know it," showing it was from Magnus. Hiding the screen from Jace, I read:

I see you figured out all by yourself why Jace was upset. Good girl. Have the declarations of undying love been made? It would have been of some entertainment for me, so if you haven't announced your feelings yet, let me know so I can come and watch. From a distance, of course. And don't let Jace know. Because I'm sure I can't run as fast as him. Xxx

Biting my lip to hide my smile, I replied.

"Texting your boyfriend, Fray? And in my incomparable company? I'm offended," Jace laughed, his fingers turning white with the grip he had kn the steering wheel.

"No," I assured him, "Just a female friend. She wanted to know how I was since she hasn't seen me since this morning."

My phone chimed yet again.

I know I like sparkles, but last time I checked, I'm not a girl. I think someone's jealous (Do you think the X's are working because I'm pretty sure he saw you send them and that's why he's jealous) xxxxx

Stop it, Maggie. Even though it is kinda funny. Xxxx(pretty sure he saw the X's) Is he green yet?

Magnus made a great show of checking Jace out in the front seat and then saying loudly, "I think Jace is looking a funny colour. What do you think, Clary? Check his temperature."

"I think this is your stop, Bane. Aren't you taking Alec somewhere?" Jace stopped the engine, and even went so far as to open the back door. Magnus looked like he was about to protest just to see the reaction, but finally exited, pulling Alec with him.

"Finally. Now I'm dying to know, why did you just invite yourself to my house?" Jace drove away, concentrating firmly on the road even though I knew he had driven many times with no focus on the road. He was avoiding looking at me, so I stared out of the window too.

"Thought I'd spend some time with Chairman Meow since Max adopted him. And Max has been trying to get me to stay a night ever since he got those new comics," I said nonchalantly.

"So it's not to spend some time with the hottie in the car with you?" He finally looked at me, amusement written all over his face.

"Only a tiny bit."

His hand came over mine and I threaded my fingers through his, the small gesture placating me.

"Well good. Because I definitely want to know how you're going to keep your hands off me all night."

"I think you'll find it's the other way round. Because I know Izzy has bought me a top she's dying for me to wear. I think I'll sample it tonight."

His fingers tightened considerably on mine as he spat the next words out. "I can always drop you back home if you're only plans for tonight are torturing me."

"Only a little bit of torturing... and the rest of it, you'll have to wait and see," I laughed.

"I hate you, Clary Fray."

I batted my lashes innocently. "I'm pretty sure you admitted to loving me, Jace Wayland. But since we're doing opposites day, I hate you too."

**And what's going to go down with Jace and Clary...iin the same house? Your theories are brilliant! **

**Okay, I know Izzy is supportive of Clace in the books, but remember that she's known Jace and Clary longer than they've known each other. So she's not only worried about losing a friend, she's also worried she'll be to blame. And she knows how irresistible Jace is to all women so she's got a right to be worried! I mean we all fell fkr him, ;D**

**So that's why some of you may find her a little OOC.**

**As always, I love reading all your thoughts and readers make me slightly crazy in ecstasy!**

**Love you all,**

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


	5. A Breath Away

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews... they honestly inspire me to continue updating quickly! And the amount of follows and favourites I got was also tremendous, so a huge yummy cookie for all of you!**

**And a hug and kiss to my fantastic beta VampiressBeauty20; I hope you feel better soon! XD**

**Disclaimer: Yep, this is really happening. I am claiming to not own the Mortal Instruments.**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Five: A Breath Away**

I would've come over to the Lightwood household a lot sooner if I had any inkling if how much I was loved here. Max barreled into me, his comic nearly getting squashed between us. I pulled him away, laughing at Jace's expression. Ever since he realised I had agreed to stay the night here just to tease him, he had pulled a face, but I knew he would enjoy the game just as much as I would. Smirking at him, I kissed Max on the forehead and took his hand, leading him to the living-room.

Jace followed me, pushing his sports bag into the corner and running his fingers through his still slightly damp hair. It curled softly around his ears, tempting me to close the few inches between us and touch it. But his arrogant expression gave him away, and I knew he was doing this to distract me. Intentionally ignoring him, I opened the comic and started to read, occasionally patting Max's arm to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep listening to my monotonous voice. I had no ides why he had loved the idea of me reading to him so much: I sounded worse than Eeyore.

"Clary, what's Kenshin going to do? And do you want Jace to read out those parts because your voice can't go very deep. Jace does the voices really good," Max said seriously, unusually grave.

"Sorry, but Jace needs to go in the shower because he smells," I replied, still not looking at him. I could feel him pressed up against me but I forced myself to continue to focus on Max, knowing Jace was an elastic band just waiting to snap. He leaned over, his lips brushing against my ear to stop Max from overhearing.

"Is that an invitation I hear," he muttered, his fingers inching carefully around my waist. I pushed away, shaking my head slightly, his hands falling limp at his sides. He pouted, folding his arms and leaning back at his failed attempt.

Clary: 1

Jace: 0

"Jace doesn't smell," Max said indignantly, standing up.

Jace fist-pumped him, laughing. It had all been going so well and now I was the one losing?

Clary: 1

Jace: 1

I pushed him out of the way, covering my nose.

"Yes, he does, Max! Can you not see the stench that followed him around? Maybe you've just got used to it by living with him; I've heard of that happening." I gave him my most innocent smile and then pushed Jace out of the doorway, slamming the door shut behind me.

Clary: 2

Jace: 1

"Clary!" Max said appalled.

My laughter was cut short as the door strained against my back, and then a hand reached out and pulled me to the other side. Into Jace's arms. No. This was not happening. Looking into his tawny eyes, it was all too easy to fall under his trap and give in. I needed to be strong. Max's voice was distant as I reached up to push Jace back, but somehow my fingers curled into his top instead. The score I had kept flew away over my shoulder and I blinked rapidly, trying to gain control of my suddenly erratic breathing.

"I've never heard you complain about me before, kitten. Is there something I should know?" He leaned closer, and boy, did I just want to grab him and kiss him. My gaze dropped to his lips and painfully slow, he put his hands on my cheeks. My breath flew out in a whoosh as my fingers inched higher. The door opened behind me... and I fell back, pulling Jace with me.

I opened my eyes one at a time, scared to see just what his reaction was. Jace held almost all of his weight off of me now, hoisting himself up on his hands. My arms were around his neck, automatically having gone there as I fell. I knew I needed to move but it was proving to be impossible, my body refusing to cooperate with me.

"I'm going to move," I whispered, but I stayed deadlocked against him.

His voice was low, choked as he replied, his pupils swallowing his golden irises. "Don't."

I froze, feeling his chest against mine rising with every breath he took. His breath tickled me, but I forced myself up, knowing there was something I had to do. Pushing back, I realised exactly what.

Max.

But he wasn't looking at us. His attention was again wholly engrossed in Rorouni Kenshin and I breathed a sigh of relief.

That had been too close. I had almost given in. Maybe I had been wrong to come here and maybe this was just too much temptation even if being with Jace didn't feel like a sin. I could only imagine what his thoughts were now.

Looking over at Max, I pulled my cell out, texting the first person I could for advice through a simple process of elimination. Isabelle and Simon were out of the question since they would both immediately guess the reason behind my calling. Alec and Magnus were busy shopping: I say shopping, but I was sure Alec had been forced into it via blackmail. Which left my brother.

Jon? You free?

His reply came only a few seconds later.

I've got about ten minutes. Quick chat?

I dialled his number, deciding against looking apologetically at Jace. It would only make it worse.

"Little sister. What's wrong?"

I sighed and started my slightly edited version whilst swinging my legs against the porch. "Right, so you know that you've wondered why I haven't dated anyone yet? It's because I already like someone, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it."

"So you thought you'd go to your highly experienced brother to ask?"

"Gross." I shivered. "I really don't want to talk about your experience. I just thought since you're a guy, you'd know."

"And you're not giving me a name," Jon stated regretfully.

"So you can threaten him? No way! I just needed to know how I can let him know I like him, but keep my space." I didn't need to know how to keep my space, I needed to know exactly how Jace and I were going to keep this on the lowdown from everyone.

"You better stay away from him, Clary. I don't want anyone corrupting you." I flinched at his word choice. "Just flirt, but make sure he gets nowhere near you. Or else I will find out, I promise. Make sure you're never alone with him inside a room otherwise he'll definitely get the wrong idea and don't tell him that you want him. That'll make him crazy." A high-pitched squealing in the background broke off his speech and he switched the phone off without even saying goodbye. Typical.

This was exactly what I had got from what he had told me. I had to flirt, get trapped in confined spaces with him, let him know I liked him, and then pull away. Oh, I was definitely going to manage to control myself. It was him who wouldn't be able to keep his hands off me. Our earlier episode came back to me along with the doubt that I wouldn't be able to pull this off.

But I was going to have to try. I would not be defeated.

I walked back inside, a smile lining my face.

"Do you want to go out for dinner?" I asked them both. Jace stood straight away, scowling at me in silent frustration at my disappearing act.

Max just shook his head like I expected, saying he'd already been fed by Maryse.

It was just Jace and me then. This should be fun.

"Taki's?" I smiled.

"Sure. It's a date," Jace smirked.

Waving goodbye to Max, I placed my arm in his and floated out. The weather was strangely pleasant as we walked to his car, only a slight breeze rustling my hair. It was as though it had finally got tired of all its wailing and was content to just blow along. I stood closer to Jace, using his body to protect mine from the slight cold, and for the most part, he didn't seem to mind.

"So, you've been playing me all day. Is this where you're going to announce your love and make it up to me?" Jace started, "Because if it is, I wish you'd told me. I could have the camera and made the moment last longer."

I grinned into my hoodie, glad that my plan was working. Just as I was about to retort, I remembered the animosity he had shown towards Sebastian and questioned him about it.

"You want to know why I hate Verlac," he stated dubiously. I nodded, pushing a few curls off my face. My stomach was growling by now and Jace had regarded it with amusement for some time now, but I wasnt letting that get to me. We were at the door of Taki's now anyway, and like usual, the interior sent pleasant thrills running through me. I always liked it when things on the inside were better than the exterior, which must mean that Jace was pretty awesome, his exterior was gorgeous.

We walked unto the easily recognisable waiter, my hand loosely in his.

"Will," Jace nodded.

I rolled my eyes as the other Herondale nodded back, his cerulean-blue eyes glinting with mischief. They may have been dissimilar in appearance, but Jace and Will were almost the same once you had got to know them. And if I didn't prefer blondes... well, let's just say I wouldn't be stood on this side of the counter.

"You've finally grown some balls and asked her out then," Will smirked, working the coffee machine.

"And you've finally realised Tess isn't into you which is why you've got the job to take your mind off it," Jace retaliated. I sighed, knowing it would be a while before I got my answers.

Will shifted uncomfortably, biting the inside of his lip. I frowned, wondering why he was so unsure. Will was as conceited and arrogant as Jace and never doubtful of himself. "Tessa's with Jem. Apparently, I missed my chance."

"You're a Herondale," Jace stated. "Fight for her. Get her back. You love her just as much as Jem does, if not more."

A pause in their 'witty repartee' and then, "All in due time, Lover Boy. Let me take your order first before my manager decides I might actually just be a pretty face."

"I know. It must be hard to know all the charm, good looks, and brains got passed to me. Maybe your average pretty face is all you have left to go on. Use it wisely."

He ordered our usual and grabbed a booth in the far corner, claiming we were less likely to be disturbed there. As I went to take my seat opposite him, my elbow caught the edge of the table, and the tablecloth slid a few inches off, dropping cutlery and two glasses to their demise. I watched in horror at the spilt water before hurriedly proceeding to mop it up. In one swift movement, I was in Jace's arms and he was wiping the water off my arms.

"It's not your job, leave it. I'll get Will to do it." And just when he was proving himself to actually be sweet, he continued with, "Anyway, I don't expect you to clean it up after that great source of entertainment."

I scowled at him, folding my arms, but he didn't relinquish his grip on me, choosing instead to sit with me still positioned carefully in his lap. I pushed against his hold, but he didn't budge. Resigned, I looked up at him and repeated my earlier question.

"What's with you and Sebastian?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It clearly does if you nearly sabotaged your game for it."

He exhaled resentfully before resting his forehead against mine, his eyes intense. "It's the way he talks about you, Clary. Like you're... forget the details of that. And even before I knew you loved me," - a quick grin. "it used to make me want to give a terrible death where he suffered forever."

I smiled slightly despite the gravity of the situation. "You were jealous."

"Like you've never get jealous of the girls around me," he retaliated.

"I know exactly how to deal with them."

His lips curled up into a sensual smile, the angle I was at really accentuating the,. I could just lean up... but no. I was not going to be the first to give in. But he really knew how to test my boundaries.

"How would you deal with them, Fray?"

The perfect opportunity was here, so why was I stumbling? Mustering up my courage, I leaned forward, tugging his hair between my fingers. A breath separated our lips but I refused to break it, pressing my lips to his cheek instead at the last second. Confusion and hurt passed through his expression and even though he masked it immediately , I still saw it.

Maybe this game wasn't as fun after all if it didn't help us progress with our relationship. If we couldn't be honest with each other now, how were we going to survive in the future? I needed to be honest with myself, and the truth was, I was playing around because I was afraid. Afraid that this wasn't what I needed, and it would only result in heartbreak. I needed to have some sort of stability in this aspect of my life, and Jace needed to know that.

"This isn't a date," I whispered, suddenly shy.

"I know."

"I want to do it properly, Jace. I want to do everything conventionally even though I know we're anything but normal. So..." I took a deep breath. "I want to date you first, even though I know it'll be difficult."

Even though I had been the one to say the words, I was still shocked at my directness. There was no way I had started today believing that I would ask Jace Wayland out. Yet here we were with his arms taut around me whilst I begged the Angel that I hadn't ruined everything.

"You ruined my surprise, Clary," he whispered back, his lips brushing my hair. And then he got down on one knee. People said they could feel their hearts beating when someone performed the same action, but I was sure I had no heart left. The room was silent to me, only his words registering. "Since you want to go about this correctly... Clary Fray, I want the honour of calling you mine all the time and hearing you say the same. I want the dickheads like Sebastian to know that you're only mine, and I will chop off their hands if they even think about touching you. Most of all, I want the honour of being to call you my girlfriend. Will you indulge me in this extremely important matter of our futures?"

"Yes."

His smile was blinding as I leant beside him in the comfort of our private booth. "Yes, I am yours."

"And you call yourself a friend, Clarissa. You promised you would call me when he turned soppy!" Magnus exclaimed, looking genuinely upset. I had miscalculated when I had assumed we were alone, and thinking about it now, I thought that I must have been extremely dense to not have noticed Magnus had arrived. His outfit could either be described as unique or a fashion disaster, but I leaned towards the former, knowing I had no experience with fashion myself.

Not that Jace seemed to mind, I thought proudly.

My boyfriend rose abruptly, standing beside me, looking utterly perplexed. "No one is supposed to know about us," he said, glaring at me.

Oops.

I guess this meant our first argument as a couple was complete.

**Quite a fluffy chapter but I thought this chapter was necessary. I hope you liked it anyway! Since the next chapter is quite serious, I thought it would be best to set it out like this. And who loved the addition of William Herondale? Would you like some Wessa in this as well? Wait, how many of you have read TID? Let me know your wonderful opinions, **

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


	6. Barriers

**The response to the last chapter was amazing so thank you all so much! It makes me all warm and fuzzy; I may actually love you more than Jace... nearly as much as Jace ;)**

**Betaed by the fabulous VampiressBeauty20!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned TMI, I would definitely not make so many characters die in the final instalment... and I don't own Alice in Wonderland (Surprisingly, I hated the book), or Saw V (the movie was an excuse of a horror movie, more of a Biology lesson) XD**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Six: Barriers**

"I didn't tell him! I told you he guessed and said this even before we had discussed it properly. It's not my fault you're so obvious," I explained yet again to Jace, who was adamant that he was going to continue giving me the stink-eye all night.

"You're my girlfriend, you should tell me these things," he sighed, giving a slight smile and I knew the worst of it was over now. "And I'm definitely not the one who's obvious. I am certain I don't turn red every time you touch me."

"Shut up, Jace."

I saw Magnus walking back towards us, looking very much like the weird cat from Alice in Wonderland. Clearly, he had assumed that we had figured it out between us and now he could waltz in and get all the gossip. Sliding into the booth next to me, he took a cheesy chip off my plate, eating all the cheese and dumping the rest back onto my plate.

"Wow, that is disgusting," I said, scraping the chip off my plate. "Actually, you can eat these. I'll have Jace's." I smiled sweetly at him and snagged his plate, shoving three in my mouth.

"Hey, that's mine!" He protested, swiping them back.

"But aren't you supposed to be trying to prove you can be the perfect boyfriend? That includes giving her your chips," Magnus laughed, winking at me.

"And aren't you supposed to be giving us space," Jace scowled back.

The rest of the dinner consisted mainly of Magnus adding sly comments about Jace's ability, Jace retaliating and growling angrily because he wanted to avoid causing a scene, and me doing nothing much. Except maybe making them argue more. I had to admit, Jace trying to prove his manliness was sort of fun to watch. Before long, we were back home, but before I could get even a word in, Magnus dragged me back out to 'talk to me'. I could feel lasers poking at my back the entire time the front door was open, and I physically deflated as soon as I heard the door clang shut.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" I hissed immediately at Magnus. It was hard keeping a straight face whilst shouting at a man dressed in a leotard covered in sequins.

"Of course I'm not! I was testing the depths of his love for you," he replied. "What I really wanted to ask was: just how good of a kisser is he? For purely platonic reasons, of course. I'm not trying to steal your boyfriend."

Struggling to keep the disgusted grin off my face, I spoke the truth. "We haven't kissed yet. I told him I wanted to everything properly."

"What? Why? How can you keep your hands to yourself all the time?"

"I know it's going to be hard. But everywhere I look, tradition is going down the drain. Even in books and movies, the hero and heroine share kisses and more than that even before they're official! How can you feel right doing that? And when I think back to the 20th century, I think back to how romantic everything was where the man used to court the girl and it was just so much more special. I want that too. I don't want a whirlwind romance that is unpredictable and most likely ends in tears. I want something that's real."

I exhaled after my mini-rant, but even though I knew it sounded stupid, I couldn't bring myself to take back the words. I honestly did believe in them and wanted Jace and me to have that. To have the sort of love Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet shared. Romeo and Juliet had been impulsive in their actions and look where that had got them. Dead. If they had actually sat down and planned it out, maybe they would've had a better chance of surviving.

"I actually see where you're coming from with that," he nodded sagely, "But just remember, unexpected gestures are the best ones. Would you rather have a surprise party or one that you've planned yourself?"

Trust him to compare love to a party. In spite of the horrid analogy, I understood what he was talking about and it seemed that all I could do now was wait and see.

"Are you coming in?" I asked, rubbing my arms together to keep away the slight chill that had picked up.

"No. Alec and I... let's just say we need time to sort out our differences," he grinned sheepishly.

"I'll put in a good word."

"I'm sure your word doesn't count for much now."

"Thank you for that amazing vote of confidence," I retorted sarcastically, grinning to lessen the blow of my words. "But I'll still try."

Kissing me swiftly on the cheek and tugging the end of my hair once, he disappeared around the corner in typical-Magnus style; I swear it was like he had the power to Apparate. Groaning, I walked back in to see Jace lounging on the stairs.

"Hey," I whispered, quickly checking to see we were alone. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"You were just feeling insecure about your masculinity, weren't you?" I chuckled, kissing the tip of his nose. He lifted me so I was situated in his lap, his hands resting on my hips neatly.

"Seriously, Fray? You're just going to tease me like that?" He said hoarsely, twirling a strand of around his finger.

Being this close to him, I was considering going back on my entire 'date first' rule but I knew I couldn't be a pushover. "I want to do it right, Jace. I don't want anything to go wrong," I explained. "But that doesn't mean we can't play."

"Some love is better than no love," he grinned. "And what was that about you questioning my masculinity?"

He ran a finger across my lips which parted naturally. Unable to resist, I licked it but Jace's response I hadn't predicted. He pushed me against the wall whilst I was still straddling him, pressing his lips to my neck. My head rolled back, allowing him more access. My breath came in short gasps as I struggled to get a hold of my emotions, gasping as his tongue flicked to the sensitive spot below my ear. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging him closer to me. Even though his fingers never strayed into dangerous territory, heat flew through me so fast that I wondered if it was possible for me to combust. We were going way too fast even if we hadn't technically even kissed. I pushed him away, panting and trying to get my spreading blush under control.

"I think your response has just inflated my ego. Not that I had an doubts; it's just flattering to me," Jace smirked, but I noted with pleasure that he seemed just as ruffled as me.

"Clary?" came Isabelle's questioning voice. The sound of her footsteps came shortly after but could barely be heard over the thudding of my heart.

"I thought she wasn't here!" I screeched at Jace.

"I don't remember saying anything of the sort," he argued back.

Untangling myself from him hastily, I smoothed down my hair and watched Jace do the same. He left through the front door just seconds before Isabelle's body appeared at the top of the stairs, claiming that it would be safer for if he left now. I didn't bother starting a quarrel with him about it.

"Clary, your mum rang for you to make sure you'd be alright here! Come upstairs; I'm in my room!"

Shouting back an answer in the affirmative, I smoothed down my appearance once more and made my way up. Clearly, it hadn't done anything for my flushed cheeks since the first thing she said to me was, "Are you ill? Are you running a temperature. Wait," she said, as understanding dawned on her face, "Is that why you decided to stay here tonight? Because your mum will go crazy trying to take care of you?"

I shook my head, blushing even more as I thought of the real reason behind my fever. "I'm fine. I've just been outside so maybe that's why."

Finding nothing wrong with my answer, she dragged me to her bed and I easily complied, grudgingly about her enthusiasm.

"Seriously, I need to give you another manicure. The way you pick at them is disgusting," Isabelle said, pulling a face and patted my hand into her lap, not even waiting for me to consent to this torture. I allowed her to do it, allowing my guilty conscience to force me into being a pushover. Luckily, I had been allowed to stay over for the night, my mum having convince Valentine I would be fine in the same house as the biggest player in town. Meaning Jace. Actually, now I thought about it, hadn't I said Jace was out-of-town with Maryse and Alec?

Oh crap.

"Izzy, I may have said Jace and Alec aren't here so please say you didn't mention anything when my mum rang earlier."

Her mouth dropped as she scrambled as fast as she could away from me. "I may have..." she stuttered, her manicure kit falling swiftly off her lap. I ran at her, hitting her arm in dismay before psychically throwing her door open and ringing Jace with the other hand. Isabelle rushed off to await the arrival of my mum so she could warn me beforehand.

"I knew you loved me, Clary, but five minutes? That's a new record!"

"Shut up, Jace. I lied to mum and said you and Alec were out-of-town, and I think Isabelle may have let something slip! So don't come back until I give you the all-clear, okay?"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you getting all bossy?" He muttered, sounding quite at ease with my sudden news.

"So not the time, Wayland! I'm freaking out!"

Immediately catching up on my mood, he became contrite, calming me down in a way only he knew. "Clary, think about it. What's the absolute worst that can happen? She'll find out you lied and say you can't stay with me tonight, and if that happens, I'll sneak in through your bedroom window and keep away the bad dreams."

That may have sounded extremely flirtatious but not one word he had said had been a lie. And by giving me the worst case scenario, he had removed the irrational fears I had; if the worst case had Jace in both of them, how could I really complain?

"Thanks, Wayland. I think I hear Izzy's screams of terror beckoning me. I'll speak to you in half an hour," I told him gratefully.

"I'll see you in half an hour," he corrected me before hanging up.

I ran back downstairs to meet my mum, her face a mixture of annoyance and hurt. "I thought you said the boys wouldn't be here tonight, Clarissa Fray. What was the need to lie?" She chastised me immediately and I forced my heart to slow down and not give me away.

"I didn't lie, mum. Look. Only Max is here tonight." I shrugged innocently. "I told you Alec and Jace were going out tonight and that's the only reason I came."

She looked around suspiciously, her gaze falling on Jace's discarded jacket and Alec's papers. Finding no other evidence to prove I was lying, she moved forward to envelop me in her arms and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry I thought you lied. I just don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I know, mum. I'll come home first thing tomorrow morning."

"Make it tomorrow afternoon as an apology." She shifted guiltily before walking back out and waving goodbye. I waved back smiling. Honestly, I loved her, but her attitude to every male friend I had been irritating me. I knew it was mostly dad's overprotective nature getting the best of her but it didn't really stop my reaction to her suspicious behaviour. Yet another person who would be opposed to Jace and I going out.

After ensuring that her car had left the driveway, I exchanged a look with Izzy who accordingly left to get popcorn. There would be no more manicure talk today. The advantages of guilt-tripping people.

I san onto the sofa, flicking through channels and finally landing on a movie that looked promising. Blood and gore seemed the best way to go to get all thoughts away from Jace and Saw V definitely seemed to be doing that job well. I hardly even noticed when she dropped the popcorn bowl in front of me, wholly consumed by the dismemberment of the body on-screen.

She left after a while, yawning as she went and saying not to make too much noise when I finally decided to come up. I snorted at that. Not even a herd of rhinos storming through her room could wake her up. The bloody scenes passed interchangeably into the next, never much difference: there was no real plot to it and I slightly regretted picking it. At least a chick-flick would have kept me awake. Where was Jace anyway? it had been nearly two hours since we had spoken and I could have sworn he had said he would be here in thirty minutes.

My eyelids dropped and before long, I had slipped into unconsciousness, my dreams a hazy place filled with twitching arms and golden eyes that penetrated my very existence. The hand flicked towards him leaving a thick residue in its trail and I screamed, trying to manoeuvre it off the route it was takin but to no avail. I screamed as the arm morphed into a person and then two people, and then three, crowding around Jace and blocking my view of him. Wading through the crowd, I reached him, but where I had assumed he would be, there was only emptiness.

"Jace!"

I woke up, shivering and trying to huddle into the warm shape besides me. "Shh, it's okay," Jace muttered. "I'm here now."

I settled back into him and took deep breaths as he tucked in the afghan around us. My head was in his lap and I weakly attempted to pull him down, frowning when he laughed at my pointless tries. Without another word, he lay down beside me and I tucked my head against his chest, throwing my leg over his, listening to his heartbeat thrum reassuringly under me.

"We haven't done this in ages," I whispered to him, scared to break the peace that had descended on the room. "Slept together, I mean."

I'm sure if we had slept together I would have remembered," he commented dryly.

"Not in that way." I pushed at his stomach. "I mean, like how we are now. Just sleeping."

He shifted uncomfortably and I could almost deduce exactly when he had decided to tell me the truth. "We were sleeping one time and the day after, I realised I liked you. It was painful to stay close to you after that, especially since I thought you didn't feel the same way."

I released my breath in a whoosh at his revelation; all this time I had thought I had done something wrong when in reality, it was because he had discovered his feelings.

"Well, it's nice that we can do it again."

"Don't concern yourself with Izzy. She'll be a goner 'til late as will Max, and I set my alarm to seven so we can go back to our assigned rooms then."

I sighed. "You have such a nice voice. It's like honey but silky. Like honeyed silk. But that wouldn't taste very nice," I babbled, yawning again. It had been a really long day and there was no better way to end it than listening to Jace's voice humming a soft melody. His chest vibrated as he did, and before long, we were wrapped in the warm bliss sleep offered.

It was really a shame that it had to be ruined the next morning.

**I imagined quite a different ending but it's so peaceful here right now, so that's what I came up with! I am finally feeling better and I'm allowed to start working properly now, so updates will be back to their regular self now. For any readers of my other TMI story, A Tale of Two Amoris, the next chapter will be posted tomorrow hopefully! As always, thanks for all the follows, favourites, and reviews! I love knowing what you think and what could be improved on this story! Now, the replies to the anonymous reviews...**

**Faith: As always, thank you so much for the review! I swear, you put the most thought into my stories! I think I'm keeping the Wessa even though this chapter was strictly Clace, and I also LOVED Max... he should NOT have died. TID is in the 19th Century... where romantic strolls took place in dirty streets... :D And I'm late with the update so you review whenever you can! Jace understood that it wasn't her fault and she made up for it, so Jace isn't angry- or is he?! And 'I solenmnly swear'? Does this mean you're also a fan of Harry Potter?!**

**Keep being awesome, Cherry xx**

**LOVERGIRL: Thank you so much for all your reviews! They always encourage me to get my ass in gear and write! ^^**

**Guest: I had 3 from Guest so I'm assuming you're different people? It would be great if you left a penname so I knew who to thank :) thank you for all the encouragement and support and reviews!**

**_Apparate: One of the methods of transportation used Iin Harry Potter. It's like teleporting._**

**Let me know your thoughts!**

**Thank you,**

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


	7. Mutually Exclusive

**Nearly 100 reviews?! On SIX chapters?! The response to last chapter was fabulous as usual and a hige thank you to all my reviewers, followers and favouriters, you know you guys make me smile for a week! Extra thanks to all my guest reviewers since I can't send you mushy replies in person: you are all amazing!**

**My fantastic beta, VampiressBeauty20, deserves a medal and knighthood! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yes, it's that time of the day...I am a miser and own nothing.**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Seven: Mutually Exclusive**

I rolled on to my side, snuggling back into my warm pillow, clutching at it desperately when it moved. "Stop moving," I demanded, pushing at it.

"Do you normally talk to inanimate objects?" It replied, shifting again.

"You talked!" I sat upright, smiling. My grin quickly dropped as I noticed Jace's wide, and highly satisfied, smirk. "Pleased with yourself, are you?" I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms, regretting my hasty decision of moving away from him as the cold set in. Noting my discomfort, he held his arms out invitingly and I would have gladly returned if it wasn't for his plain smugness.

"Well, you couldn't seem to get enough of me last night and I've never enjoyed myself so much. I think that's a pretty good reason for being pleased with myself," he said confidently.

"You were the same," I retorted archly.

"When have I ever denied my true feelings for you, Clary? It is only you who enjoys stringing me along and toying with my emotions. Even now you can't make your boyfriend happy and he only wants a hug."

Well, if he put it that way... I threw myself at him, clambering into his lap and soaking in his warmth. His face was concealed with shadows and I strained to see the time on the clock opposite.

"I think I should be getting back to my room now. Just for when Izzy decides to throw a party and wakes up." The chances were slim but it was best we didn't take any risks. We were both living in the moment, our futures were laced with uncertainty, yet I still couldn't seem to relax completely like I should have done. It was logical to make the most of it, but like every other girl on the planet, I wanted my relationship with Jace to be special, to be unlike all the other girls he had been with. I tried not to think of those other girls and become overridden with jealousy but it was difficult when I was reminded of it on a constant basis.

"I'm going to get going, Jace. Seriously. I'll see you in a few hours." I kissed his cheek and climbed off, creeping to the kitchen for some milk before going upstairs.

Such an innocent action had resulted in a catastrophe. I froze in mid-step as I saw the sight that awaited me.

"I can't believe you lied to me, Clary. Get out of my house now." Isabelle stood with her arms crossed at the top of her stairs, her hair pulled tightly into a ponytail. Clenched fists were pressed against her chest as though she was physically struggling to not punch me or push me down the stairs. Even without her clarifying her words, I knew exactly what she was referring to.

"Isabelle, I... was going to tell you." The apology stayed stuck in my throat, refusing to be released when it would have been dishonest to say it. My heart pounded in my chest in fear, each beat reinforcing the feeling that this was the end. How could I have assumed that time would help us get through this? The fact that we had kept it a secret had just made it worse and I knew forgiveness was a long shot. Hell, getting her to look at me right now was a long shot.

Footsteps appeared behind me and I knew without turning who it was, yet I was positive his appearance would only fuel her anger. And as usual, I was right.

"Iz, come on. This is being unfair; she did nothing wrong. It was my idea to hide it from you," he explained calmly, trying to diffuse the thick tension that streamed from every atom in this house.

"So how long have you been lying to me?" She laughed once but the sound was harsh to the ear. "A day? A week? A month? Hell, how about a year?"

Her control and façade was slipping quickly and so was our time.

"No, of course not. It's been three days and all we've done so far is acknowledge our feelings for one another. We haven't even done anything. Izzy, I swear she's not like the other girls." Jace passed me to stand next to her, looking earnestly down at her. I became invisible for a moment, knowing it was only him who could solve this.

"It's not only that, Jace. It's that you're already taking her away from me just like every other friend I've had. You know I don't make friends easily, and Clary is one I'll never find anywhere else. How can I compete with you for her? And how do I know you won't break her heart? You might be speaking the truth now but how about next year when you'll probably go off to separate colleges? Are you honestly saying you'll make it through that?"

"Yes." There wasn't an ounce of worry or doubt in his voice as he spoke he answer clearly. "I've waited for her this long, I can wait a few more years. Maybe I didn't know back then what I felt for her but I do now and I'm not going to let her go. You just have to give it a chance."

Isabelle paused and when I had thought it had finally worked, she turned to me, her expression cold and emotionless. "Tell me now, Clary, and answer honestly. If you had a choice to keep my friendship or Jace, who would you choose?"

I stuttered, trying to give the answer that would hurt neither, but the hesitation gave her all the answer she needed.

"Fine. I understand. Goodbye, Clary. It was fun. You were the closest thing to a sister I had and I don't want to taint those memories." Her lip quivered slightly but she was gone before the tears fell. I looked at the place she had just been standing, struggling to come to terms with what had just happened.

I had just lost Isabelle, but was it forever? I strode forward to follow her but Jace threw an arm in my way, stopping me in my tracks.

"Leave it. Following her will do nothing when she's like this. I'm sorry, Clary," he said, eyes full of regret.

"I didn't want it to end like this, and I won't. She's still my friend, Jace!"

Resignation passed through him as he knew I wasn't going to back down. Determined, I knocked on her door, pushing it when no answer came. I hadn't expected one anyway.

"Isabelle? I'm coming in," I said hoarsely.

She stood armed with heels beside her bed, her lips stretched into a thin line. I approached her like one might with an untamed lion that was more volatile than others and I was a gazelle, capable of running away but still afraid.

"Just get whatever you want to say out of your system; it won't change my mind. I don't want to battle for your time when I know you'll choose him over me. It might seem selfish, Clary, but I don't want to lose you to him. It's happened before so many times and I was stupid for thinking it wouldn't happen with you. The problem is I know you're different to him as well. And you're going to last. I don't want to get between you, Clary, that's why I'm doing this," she said, her voice breaking towards the end.

"But how do you know that? This is my life and Jace doesn't control it! He might be the 'love of my life' even if I'm not sure yet, but you're still my best friend! And you and Jace are siblings! How am I going to see him without seeing you anyway? I don't want it to be awkward like some horribly clichéd book because I know it'll hurt more than anything else! Please, I'm begging you." I felt my throat tightening as I tried to hold the tears back, still not wanting to seem weak in front of her. The idea of Isabelle acting like a stranger every time I came over was almost too much to bear and I suddenly empathised with what she had gone through with Jace's disapproval in the early stages of her relationship with Simon.

"I just wish you hadn't lied to me. Maybe then we could've sorted it out. But if you've lied to me now, how can I trust you like I used to? I'm sorry, Clary. But I'll think about it because it won't just break us, it'll break Simon and everyone else too. And I can't be responsible for yet another falling out in this family. I just can't."

Her tone was final and I knew I was dismissed. In the space of half an hour, I had lost a friend, been brandished a liar, and possibly broken three relationships. I joined Jace, dejected, and his jaw tightened as he realised what a failure my attempt had been.

"It'll be okay, Red. You've still got me, and Max too, who I'm sure has a crush on you!" He laughed, hoping to lighten the mood.

My eyes returned to the door unconsciously and my shoulders slumped at the difficulty of the situation. The doorknob turned a few minutes later and my heart skipped, waiting for her to walk out and say she'll give Jace and I a chance to work before making judgements about how it would affect her and me. But her face was emotionless as she walked out, her mobile slung casually in her hand like nothing had even happened.

"I want you out of here. Now. Before you corrupt everyone else's heads here. I mean, you managed to get to Jace, the supposedly strongest of the Lightwood's! It's only a matter of time before your poison spreads its roots elsewhere! You are a vindictive bitch, and the world needs to be warned about what you are. Get out of here before I kick you out myself. And trust me, I will."

"What's with the change of heart?" Jace asked furiously, taking a threatening step forward. I pulled him back, trying to lessen the damage I had caused today.

"Why do I have to have a reason? I've just figured out that she's such a user, and I was merely a means of getting you to fall in love with her! Is that enough?" She shrieked, her usually pale complexion tinting with pink in fury.

Her words left me cold and I clenched my jaw to stop myself from moving forward. How could she accuse me of something like that when she knew I hadn't even known her and Jace to be living together when I had befriended her! They obviously didn't look anything alike; it was hardly clear to the outside world! Everything she had just said was bullshit, and I didn't know who had even planted that idea in her head, but I was going to find out. She had been fine a moment ago and I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion by herself.

"Fine. Continue with your ridiculous assumptions. I'm done here," I said calmly, walking down the stairs, away from her, from Jace, and from Max who had woken up after hearing all the hubbub. Pounding footsteps came after me.

"Clary, don't go, please," Max pleaded, his eyes wide and innocent.

"Trust me, I'll sort this out and come back, okay? And you can still come to my house too, remember?" I pulled him into a hug, looking up one last time before leaving.

My phone beeped as soon as I had turned the corner; it was from Jace.

_Are you done with me as well?_

I read through it again, rationalizing which response I should give and coming to a decision. Exhaling, I pressed send and set off for my next destination.

**I couldn't resist adding that as an ending, though her response would be pretty obvious after the chapter! I swear, the fun will be back next chapter; the big blowout in this one was necessary! And Izzy finally knows! Any theories on what fuled her final reaction! As always, I love reading all your opinions, not just the good ones so hit that little button below this and make my day! And did you all have nice Valentine's day's?! ;D**

**Thank you and much love,**

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


	8. Confinement

***throwing cookies and milkshakes at my awesome readers* **

**Thank you for all the support; I only wanted this to be two chapters maximum and you're the reason I was encouraged to continue! :D**

**All my anon guests: thank you so much for reviewing! Since I can't send you PMs, here's your replies :)**

**Faithful Reader (of course!): I can't believe you're still fretting over the late reviews; didn't I tell you it was fine?! Seriously, you don't stop and I will rip up all your belongings! (I actually felt like ripping City of Bones when I read the ending when it first came out XD) And I loved the process of elimination! Sadly, neither one of them are the ones who provoked Izzy's reaction... keep guessing! I'll try to add a hint next chapter so look out for it! And why exactly were they chasing you?! Lol, the Jace in my existence was on holiday with his family so I was all alone on Valentine's... I think I went to watch a movie with my sister and my mum. Because I'm just that awesome ;D Jace Wayland did offer to spend time with me but it ended in disaster when Clary turned up at my door and nearly killed me with a rune! I'll keep waiting impatiently for the next amazing review you come up with Cherry xx**

**Guest: I'm still not sure how to differentiate between you... but you all pretty much said the same thing anyway! I guess you'll find out whether you have to kill me once you read the chapter! Thank you for reviewing!**

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**Disclaimer: I only mess around with Cassie's characters ;D**

**The Thin Line Between Love and Hate**

**Chapter Eight: Confinement**

Maybe it was my sheer bad luck, or just fate's way of laughing at me, but as soon as I entered Taki's, I was met with Alec's disapproving glare.

"Alec," I laughed weakly, "Hey."

"Why is Jace ringing me incessantly asking if I've seen you?" He scowled, gesturing for a waiter. Will walked over, a girl bobbing behind him quietly. I shrugged, tucking my hair behind my ear and looking around for him.

"I have no idea. I told him I'd meet him here." Maybe I was being clingy, but the fact that Jace wasn't here yet was making me nervous. Convincing myself I was worrying over nothing, I said to Alec, "There's no emergency. If there was, he would have rang me."

"You've got a point, " he shrugged and then pointed to a booth uncomfortably, "Do you want to sit and have coffee?"

I grinned at his obvious discomfort, knowing the reason for it immediately. "Magnus put you up to this, didn't he?" I managed to finally get a smile from him. Pleased with my achievement, I bought him a coffee, only then realising the visual similarity between him and Will.

"Wow, you two could be long-lost relatives." Alec was slightly stockier and Will was taller, but their dark hair and cerulean eyes made them almost twins. Will raised an eyebrow, dumping our order unceremoniously onto the table.

"There is no way in hell that I look like him. I'm a lot better! Has spending too much time with Jace clouded your senses on what's hot and what's clearly not?" He threw a hand to his chest and stumbled back like my words had physically injured him. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Your acting skills are worse than Jace's, and I prefer Alec over you." I winked at Alec just to see his reaction, and was pleased to see he was looking mortified at the turn in conversation. Magnus would be proud.

The girl I had noticed with Will earlier reappeared and offering us all a smile, introduced herself as Tessa. "Short for Teresa, but do not call her that, otherwise she'll go crazy," Will expanded.

"He speaks from experience," Tessa smirked, dropping into the seat next to me. Her hair had been pulled into a sloppy bun and was held together with a blue pen. Automatically loving her for her similar taste in fashion to me, I asked how she had met Will.

She rolled her eyes, but her gaze was soft as she looked over at him. "I fell outside school on my first day; he offered to help me up and dropped me on my ass. Naturally, I punched him, though I think that did me more damage than him."

I snorted at her words, her situation too similar to mine to be a coincidence.

"Have you met Jace?" I asked her curiously.

"Yes, unfortunately. He was just as bad as Will with the flirting and he insulted books. At least Will likes reading just as much as I do," she laughed.

My eyes widened at this piece of very interesting news: I could definitely use it against the arrogant boy.

"How did you and Jace meet?" She questioned, her eyes wide as she waited for an answer.

I took a sip of my coffee, getting comfortable so I could tell the tale. I knew quite a lot of people had heard different variations of it since Jace hated admitted to anyone that I'd managed to slap him. The amount of times he had changed his story could match the different varieties of Walkers crisps easily.

I could recall the event perfectly as I told Tessa.

_I walk quickly ahead, trying to prevent my new schedule from getting wet. It's bad enough that my crisp uniform is now wet and clinging to my body- so much for good, first impressions. I finally manage to spot my destination and my hopes of a gorgeous Victorian building are soon diminished as the regular brick building comes into view. The area is deserted apart from one straggler who seems to be intentionally making himself late. I watch in astonishment as he casually messes with the ball at his feet, going through difficult tricks as though it's second nature to him. _

_I silently curse Jon as I stomp on ahead; if he had just dropped me off like he was supposed to, I wouldn't be running late on my first day. Just as my victory is underneath my fingertips (literally) I hear a voice behind me. Letting the door swing shut again, I turn around. Clearly, the golden-haired boy is talking to me since there is no one else here. Up close, I realise he is perfect. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true. His face is something the best artists would beg to paint in its flawless symmetry. His cheekbones are prominent but it's his golden eyes that steal the show. They penetrate my soul from where he is standing and my breath catches in my throat as his lips turn up crookedly. And then he opens his mouth and ruins the entire image. _

_"Your top is transparent from the rain. I can see your bra."_

_Without wasting another moment, I stalk up to him and swing my hand, a highly satisfying noise cutting through the silence as it connects with his cheek._

_He just stands there, shell-shocked, and looks down at me. "Normally, girls cop a feel by hugging me. I must say your approach is unique so far."_

_"Well, those girls clearly need a few more brain cells if they've never tried that before. Your face just screams that it wants to be slapped."_

_"I think that's its way of getting a kiss to make it all better," he replies, kicking his ball aside so he can stand closer to me. _

_"You must be desperate if that's the only way you can bag a kiss," I respond. I don't wait for a reply as I walk back to the school, the door hiding his face from my sight but not my mind._

_Simon meets me at the end of my first period, in raptures about a girl called Isabelle who he's sure he's fallen in love with. I promise to meet her, and fulfil that promise at lunch, where she calls me over._

_"You must be Clary. I keep hearing about the new girl so it's nice to finally be able to meet you."_

_"You as well," I reply cordially. And that's all the invitation she needs to declare me her best friend and organise a shopping trip with me. It really is a blow to my chest when I discover on my first visit to her house that she lives with the arrogant blonde boy._

I laughed at how I had come to view Jace differently over the years, and continued.

"And then every time I went to see Izzy, Jace would be there. It was like a disease I couldn't get rid of," I joked, nudging her. A wave of nostalgia crashed over me as I remembered how much I had looked forward to those Sundays with her, despite my complete hatred of shopping. To have someone so in sync with me that wasn't a boy (meaning Simon) was strange but I revelled in it, cherishing the normality of the situation. And now I wished to bring those days back but too much had happened for that innocence and friendship to return to what it had been like.

Tessa laughed back and frowned at something behind me. I immediately dragged myself from my low mood and tuned to see what had illicited such a reaction fron her. Yelping, she jumped up, dragging me with her.

"It's late. My brother, Nathaniel, is going to kill me! I only told him I was going to the library! "

That explained it.

"Don't worry, Alec will drop you off if Will can't."

"Thanks," she answered gratefully. Suddenly seeming shy, she looked down at her toes before speaking again. "Do you want to take my number and we can... meet up again?"

"Sure, that would be great!" To be honest, I had wanted to ask the same thing but hadn't exactly known how to bring it up in conversation. I had always found it awkward making friends; I had Simon only at first, and he had actually been the one to expand my circle to include Isabelle and the rest. My heart twinged as I thought of Izzy but I tried to ignore it, knowing I was going to try my best to clear up any misconceptions she had about my motives for friendship.

I sighed, ringing Jace, worried now. I had tried to suppress the urge to contact him and ask him what had happened, but it have gotten the better of me. It rang twice before a unfamilar voice answered it.

"Jocelyn?"

"No, Sir. This is Clary Fray." I frowned to myself, wondering why the voice sounded more familiar by the second. And then it clicked. It was Robert Lightwood.

"Is Jace there?"

"Yes, he is. He wants to speak to you. Two moments." Sounds of the phone being exchanged could be heard and before long, Jace was on.

"Sorry I didn't turn up. I'm in prison," he started.

"You're in prison?" I exclaimed. "You've been arrested! But what for this time?" Jace in jail was a common occurrence with the things he got up to and his 'above the law' attitude. As far as I could remember of recent events though, he hadn't done anything worthy of being imprisoned.

"I punched Verlac and he called the police like the wimp he is. At least Rob said I didn't have to sit in a cell today."

Having your adoptive father as someone who doubled up as a police inspector sure had its perks. After telling him I'd be there soon, I rang for a cab. Alec and Tessa had long gone by now.

* * *

I ran a hand through my hair at Jace's remorseless attitude, knowing it wasn't going to hold much sway with the other cops. Sure, Robert's word meant a lot, but he still needed to attempt to win the others over.

"You need to try, Jace," I groaned out, slumping in my chair.

"What's the point when I'm never rewarded for the things I do try for?" He retorted, meeting my steady gaze. Even in the situation we were in, I felt the heat of his look and it never failed to increase my heart rate. Shaking my head clear,I tried again.

"Okay, what did you try for and you weren't rewarded? Maybe we'll work on that first."

"You, Clary. I tried for you and we're just stuck in limbo now, never moving forward or back," he sighed, inching his chair closer to me.

I looked up at him, swallowing as I read the intensity in him. He wasn't joking, not about this. Jace was right though,and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it. With me trying to slow everything down, our relationship was going nowhere fast and a thought that had never occurred to me appeared: what if how I felt around Jace was a sign that I should make the most of our time together? Hadn't we always said our hours were numbered? Izzy's outburst had proved that.

"Okay," I managed to ground out. "We'll work on that."

I stood to move towards him but he was faster, picking me up so I was in his lap, my legs tucked firmly around his. My hair fell in waves around us, giving us the illusion of privacy and seclusion from everyone else. Heart thudding unevenly in my chest, I leaned closer, tracing the planes of his face with my fingertips. Even this was new to me, this openness around him and I wondered how I had starved myself of it for so long. It was every artist's dream to have such a model and here I was, with a masterpiece in my hands.

Jace was too close, heat radiating off him, his golden eyes smouldering. My gaze dropped willingly to his lips and I licked my own, all my misgivings about the wrongness of this disappearing. There was only him and the way he could make me feel like I was the only one there. The walls, the bars, the sun, none of it mattered in comparison to the scorching below the surface of my skin. And even that faded as my lips touched his slowly, tentatively, tasting and exploring softly. His tongue begged for more to explore and I pulled away, gasping, shocked that we'd gone that far.

"I would say I'm sorry..." he started, his voice husky.

"Don't."

Now that I'd felt him, my body didn't seem to want to stop. Like he was my favourite drug, I tangled my hands in his hair, relishing in the softness of it against my fingertips. His heart beat faster than mine, pounding through my chest, and I grew high on the thought that it was me causing that reaction. When his tongue mine, I didn't hesitate this time, as sure of it as I was of him. Nothing that felt this right was wrong, despite what everyone said. His fingers teased the edge of my top and I reached up, exposing inches of skin. Groaning, he trailed his lips down my neck, his fingers gripping my hips, and I shifted them to get closer, but he stopped me.

"No, don't move."

I frowned, shifting again. Why would he not want me to move? Oh. _Oh._ Blushing, I attempted to move away, but his grip prevented me from moving another inch.

"That... really isn't helping. Just wait. And don't apologise." I stayed perfectly still, not wanting to push him further.

A throat cleared behind us and I turned in dismay to see Maryse frowning down at us.

"I hope this wasn't what you got arrested for, Jace."

He smiled sheepishly from behind me, using my body to cover his little... problem.

"Of course not. I got arrested for punching Sebastian."

Her horrified look would have been comical if not for the words that followed straight after. "You're the one who put him in hospital?"

**I hope the actual chapter made up for the fact it was a day late! I had actually intended on posting it yesterday but it was a lot shorter, the chapter ending when Clary found out about Jace being in prison. It seemed unfinished, so I decided to continue rather than give you a mediocre chapter. Anyway, it did take eight chapters for them to actually kiss but I hope it was worth it. I'm not too keen on writing scenes like this even though I do quite regularly,because I always think it sounds stupid, but I hope it was up to standards :) Did some of you find it a little rushed, I plan on adding more words to this chapter, that's why. And yay, plot twist! I kept feeling like this story wasn't really going anywhere and I've had the entire Sebastian idea in my head for a while now, so instead of starting it as a new story, I decided to add it here. And yay, Tessa was introduced properly in this! Not too much Will, but I'm hoping to add more of him in the next chapter.**

**I can't remember who it was that asked me for a flashback of how Jace and Clary first met, but I added it in this chapter just for you! I hope you enjoyed it XD I think it was my favourite part of this chapter to write! If there's any issues with this that you think need attending to, feel free to let me know! I grow as a writer off feedback.**

**Leave a review please!**

**Thank you and much love,**

**CherrySlushLover**

**Xxx**


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